Abide in His Love
I’ve been learning a lot lately about what it means to abide in God’s love. It’s easy to talk about trusting Him when everything feels close and visible. However, I believe that real abiding happens when God seems distant—when life feels hard, when hope seems out of reach—yet you still choose to walk in His will, believing that He is near.
A couple of days ago, Atchi, Nanan, Rarah, and I were given a task by our beloved queen, my wife, to buy groceries from a big store. From a young age, Farah and I have tried to teach our children to listen. Listening, to us, is one of the simplest and hardest lessons in life. It’s the foundation of abiding, to trust what you’ve been told, even when you walk out of sight.
The aisles of this store stretched long and wide. I handed their shopping list to Nanan and Rarah, gave them their own cart, and told them where to meet me when they were done.
From far away—even when they could not see me—I never took my eyes off them. From a distance, I watched, checking every aisle, keeping track of their cart, scanning for any dangers or suspicious individuals. They might not have known where I was at every moment, but I knew where they were.
My heart sometimes filled with unease thinking about what could happen if danger came their way. But I chose to trust that they would remember what I had taught them and accomplish their task. That’s what I believe every loving father would do.
And that’s what God the Father does for us.
He watches over us—whether we remain in Him, keep His commandments, walk in the Spirit’s leading, or even when we stray. He is always watching. Not to control, but to protect. Not to condemn, but to guide. His eyes never leave His children.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
— John 15:4–5 (NKJV)
To abide is to stay connected—to trust that His presence is constant, even when unseen.
And that connection happens through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our divine lifeline that unites us to Christ. He produces Christlike fruit in us, convicts and refines us, illuminates Scripture within us, and ultimately fills us with joy that the world cannot take away.
When my children walk down those long aisles, they don’t have to keep looking back to make sure I’m still there. They trust my word, my promise, and my love. And I never fail them.
Neither will God fail you.
If you’ve wandered, if you’ve tried to push your own cart in your own direction, come back. Abide again in Jesus. Trust the unseen presence of a loving Father who watches every step you take.
Let the Holy Spirit draw you back to Jesus. Let Him prune, cleanse, and fill you again with joy.
You don’t have to do life alone. You don’t have to bear fruit by your own strength. Abide in Him and let His life flow through you.
Because even when you can’t see Him, He is watching. And He loves you more than you know.
Verses to Reflect On
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
— John 15:9–11 (NKJV)
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
— Romans 8:14–17 (NKJV)
Prayer
Father in Heaven,
Thank You for never taking Your eyes off us. Teach us to trust even when we can’t see You. Help us to remain in Your love—to listen, to obey, to rest in Your care.
Let Your Spirit abide in us, prune what is not of You, and bear in us the fruit of love and joy. Search us, O God, and know our hearts; try us, and know our anxieties; see if there is any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
